Psalm 68-75
New King James Version
The Glory of God in His Goodness to Israel
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 Let (A)God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
2 (B)As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
(C)As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But (D)let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
(E)Extol[a] Him who rides on the [b]clouds,
(F)By His name [c]Yah,
And rejoice before Him.
5 (G)A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
6 (H)God sets the solitary in families;
(I)He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But (J)the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
7 O God, (K)when You went out before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 The earth shook;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 (L)You, O God, sent a plentiful rain,
Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,
When it was weary.
10 Your congregation dwelt in it;
(M)You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.
11 The Lord gave the word;
Great was the [d]company of those who proclaimed it:
12 “Kings(N) of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home divides the [e]spoil.
13 (O)Though you lie down among the [f]sheepfolds,
(P)You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And her feathers with yellow gold.”
14 (Q)When the Almighty scattered kings in it,
It was white as snow in Zalmon.
15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16 Why do you [g]fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks?
(R)This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in;
Yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever.
17 (S)The chariots of God are twenty thousand,
Even thousands of thousands;
The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.
18 (T)You have ascended on high,
(U)You have led captivity captive;
(V)You have received gifts among men,
Even from (W)the rebellious,
(X)That the Lord God might dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation! Selah
20 Our God is the God of salvation;
And (Y)to God the Lord belong escapes from death.
21 But (Z)God will wound the head of His enemies,
(AA)The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.
22 The Lord said, “I will bring (AB)back from Bashan,
I will bring them back (AC)from the depths of the sea,
23 (AD)That [h]your foot may crush them in blood,
(AE)And the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.”
24 They have seen Your [i]procession, O God,
The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.
25 (AF)The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after;
Among them were the maidens playing timbrels.
26 Bless God in the congregations,
The Lord, from (AG)the fountain of Israel.
27 (AH)There is little Benjamin, their leader,
The princes of Judah and their [j]company,
The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
28 [k]Your God has (AI)commanded your strength;
Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.
29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
(AJ)Kings will bring presents to You.
30 Rebuke the beasts of the reeds,
(AK)The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Till everyone (AL)submits himself with pieces of silver.
Scatter the peoples who delight in war.
31 (AM)Envoys will come out of Egypt;
(AN)Ethiopia will quickly (AO)stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, you (AP)kingdoms of the earth;
Oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 To Him (AQ)who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old!
Indeed, He sends out His voice, a (AR)mighty voice.
34 (AS)Ascribe strength to God;
His excellence is over Israel,
And His strength is in the clouds.
35 O God, (AT)You are more awesome than Your holy places.
The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.
Blessed be God!
An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble
To the Chief Musician. Set to [l]“The Lilies.” A Psalm of David.
69 Save me, O God!
For (AU)the waters have come up to my [m]neck.
2 (AV)I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
3 (AW)I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
(AX)My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 Those who (AY)hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.
5 O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
6 Let not those who [n]wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek You be [o]confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
8 (AZ)I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
9 (BA)Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
(BB)And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
That became my reproach.
11 I also [p]made sackcloth my garment;
I became a byword to them.
12 Those who [q]sit in the gate speak against me,
And I am the song of the (BC)drunkards.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O Lord, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
14 Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters.
15 Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
16 Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.
18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.
19 You know (BD)my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
My adversaries are all before You.
20 Reproach has broken my heart,
And I am full of [r]heaviness;
(BE)I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
And for (BF)comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me gall for my food,
(BG)And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 (BH)Let their table become a snare before them,
And their well-being a trap.
23 (BI)Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see;
And make their loins shake continually.
24 (BJ)Pour out Your indignation upon them,
And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.
25 (BK)Let their dwelling place be desolate;
Let no one live in their tents.
26 For they persecute the ones (BL)You have struck,
And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.
27 (BM)Add iniquity to their iniquity,
(BN)And let them not come into Your righteousness.
28 Let them (BO)be blotted out of the book of the living,
(BP)And not be written with the righteous.
29 But I am poor and sorrowful;
Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.
30 (BQ)I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
31 (BR)This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull,
Which has horns and hooves.
32 (BS)The humble shall see this and be glad;
And you who seek God, (BT)your hearts shall live.
33 For the Lord hears the poor,
And does not despise (BU)His prisoners.
34 (BV)Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas (BW)and everything that moves in them.
35 (BX)For God will save Zion
And build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.
36 Also, (BY)the [s]descendants of His servants shall inherit it,
And those who love His name shall dwell in it.
Prayer for Relief from Adversaries(BZ)
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. (CA)To bring to remembrance.
70 Make haste, (CB)O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O Lord!
2 (CC)Let them be ashamed and confounded
Who seek my life;
Let them be [t]turned back and confused
Who desire my hurt.
3 (CD)Let them be turned back because of their shame,
Who say, [u]“Aha, aha!”
4 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”
5 (CE)But I am poor and needy;
(CF)Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.
God the Rock of Salvation
71 In (CG)You, O Lord, I put my trust;
Let me never be put to shame.
2 (CH)Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
(CI)Incline Your ear to me, and save me.
3 (CJ)Be my [v]strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the (CK)commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.
4 (CL)Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5 For You are (CM)my hope, O Lord God;
You are my trust from my youth.
6 (CN)By You I have been [w]upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.
7 (CO)I have become as a wonder to many,
But You are my strong refuge.
8 Let (CP)my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day.
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
And those who lie in wait for my life (CQ)take counsel together,
11 Saying, “God has forsaken him;
Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”
12 (CR)O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, (CS)make haste to help me!
13 Let them be [x]confounded and consumed
Who are adversaries of my life;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor
Who seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.
17 O God, You have taught me from my (CT)youth;
And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.
18 Now also (CU)when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.
19 Also (CV)Your righteousness, O God, is [y]very high,
You who have done great things;
(CW)O God, who is like You?
20 (CX)You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,
(CY)Shall revive me again,
And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 You shall increase my greatness,
And comfort me on every side.
22 Also (CZ)with the lute I will praise You—
And Your faithfulness, O my God!
To You I will sing with the harp,
O (DA)Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You,
And (DB)my soul, which You have redeemed.
24 My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long;
For they are confounded,
For they are brought to shame
Who seek my hurt.
Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign
A Psalm (DC)of Solomon.
72 Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.
2 (DD)He will judge Your people with righteousness,
And Your poor with justice.
3 (DE)The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness.
4 (DF)He will bring justice to the poor of the people;
He will save the children of the needy,
And will [z]break in pieces the oppressor.
5 [aa]They shall fear You
(DG)As long as the sun and moon endure,
Throughout all generations.
6 (DH)He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing,
Like showers that water the earth.
7 In His days the righteous shall flourish,
(DI)And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.
8 (DJ)He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 (DK)Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
(DL)And His enemies will lick the dust.
10 (DM)The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
11 (DN)Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.
12 For He (DO)will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
13 He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And (DP)precious shall be their blood in His sight.
15 And He shall live;
And the gold of (DQ)Sheba will be given to Him;
Prayer also will be made for Him continually,
And daily He shall be praised.
16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth,
On the top of the mountains;
Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon;
(DR)And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 (DS)His name shall endure forever;
His name shall continue as long as the sun.
And (DT)men shall be blessed in Him;
(DU)All nations shall call Him blessed.
18 (DV)Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
(DW)Who only does wondrous things!
19 And (DX)blessed be His glorious name forever!
(DY)And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
BOOK THREE
Psalms 73–89
The Tragedy of the Wicked, and the Blessedness of Trust in God
A Psalm of (DZ)Asaph.
73 Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
My steps had nearly (EA)slipped.
3 (EB)For I was envious of the boastful,
When I saw the prosperity of the (EC)wicked.
4 For there are no [ab]pangs in their death,
But their strength is firm.
5 (ED)They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like other men.
6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
Violence covers them (EE)like a garment.
7 (EF)Their [ac]eyes bulge with abundance;
They have more than heart could wish.
8 (EG)They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;
They (EH)speak [ad]loftily.
9 They set their mouth (EI)against the heavens,
And their tongue walks through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return here,
(EJ)And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
11 And they say, (EK)“How does God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the ungodly,
Who are always at ease;
They increase in riches.
13 Surely I have [ae]cleansed my heart in (EL)vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all day long I have been plagued,
And chastened every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
16 When I thought how to understand this,
It was [af]too painful for me—
17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their (EM)end.
18 Surely (EN)You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
20 As a dream when one awakes,
So, Lord, when You awake,
You shall despise their image.
21 Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was [ag]vexed in my mind.
22 (EO)I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
24 (EP)You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
25 (EQ)Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26 (ER)My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the [ah]strength of my heart and my (ES)portion forever.
27 For indeed, (ET)those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who [ai]desert You for harlotry.
28 But it is good for me to (EU)draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may (EV)declare all Your works.
A Plea for Relief from Oppressors
A [aj]Contemplation of Asaph.
74 O God, why have You cast us off forever?
Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?
2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old,
The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed—
This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.
3 Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.
The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
4 (EW)Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;
(EX)They set up their banners for signs.
5 They seem like men who lift up
Axes among the thick trees.
6 And now they break down its carved work, all at once,
With axes and hammers.
7 They have set fire to Your sanctuary;
They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.
8 (EY)They said in their hearts,
“Let us [ak]destroy them altogether.”
They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our signs;
(EZ)There is no longer any prophet;
Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
10 O God, how long will the adversary [al]reproach?
Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?
11 (FA)Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.
12 For (FB)God is my King from of old,
Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 (FC)You divided the sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the [am]sea serpents in the waters.
14 You broke the heads of [an]Leviathan in pieces,
And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15 (FD)You broke open the fountain and the flood;
(FE)You dried up mighty rivers.
16 The day is Yours, the night also is (FF)Yours;
(FG)You have prepared the light and the sun.
17 You have (FH)set all the borders of the earth;
(FI)You have made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord,
And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.
19 Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!
Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20 (FJ)Have respect to the covenant;
For the [ao]dark places of the earth are full of the [ap]haunts of [aq]cruelty.
21 Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed!
Let the poor and needy praise Your name.
22 Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;
Remember how the foolish man [ar]reproaches You daily.
23 Do not forget the voice of Your enemies;
The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.
Thanksgiving for God’s Righteous Judgment
To the Chief Musician. Set to (FK)“Do[as] Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
75 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!
For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.
2 “When I choose the [at]proper time,
I will judge uprightly.
3 The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved;
I set up its pillars firmly. Selah
4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’
And to the wicked, (FL)‘Do not [au]lift up the horn.
5 Do not lift up your horn on high;
Do not speak with [av]a stiff neck.’ ”
6 For exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
7 But (FM)God is the Judge:
(FN)He puts down one,
And exalts another.
8 For (FO)in the hand of the Lord there is a cup,
And the wine is red;
It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;
Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth
Drain and drink down.
9 But I will declare forever,
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 “All(FP) the [aw]horns of the wicked I will also cut off,
But (FQ)the horns of the righteous shall be (FR)exalted.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 68:4 Praise
- Psalm 68:4 MT deserts; Tg. heavens (cf. v. 34 and Is. 19:1)
- Psalm 68:4 Lit. Lord, a shortened Heb. form
- Psalm 68:11 host
- Psalm 68:12 plunder
- Psalm 68:13 Or saddlebags
- Psalm 68:16 Lit. stare
- Psalm 68:23 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. you may dip your foot
- Psalm 68:24 Lit. goings
- Psalm 68:27 throng
- Psalm 68:28 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Command, O God
- Psalm 69:1 Heb. Shoshannim
- Psalm 69:1 Lit. soul
- Psalm 69:6 Wait in faith
- Psalm 69:6 dishonored
- Psalm 69:11 Symbolic of sorrow
- Psalm 69:12 Sit as judges
- Psalm 69:20 Lit. sickness
- Psalm 69:36 Lit. seed
- Psalm 70:2 So with MT, LXX, Tg., Vg.; some Heb. mss., Syr. appalled (cf. 40:15)
- Psalm 70:3 An expression of scorn
- Psalm 71:3 Lit. rock of refuge or rock of habitation
- Psalm 71:6 sustained from the womb
- Psalm 71:13 ashamed
- Psalm 71:19 great, lit. to the height of heaven
- Psalm 72:4 crush
- Psalm 72:5 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. They shall continue
- Psalm 73:4 pains
- Psalm 73:7 Tg. face bulges; LXX, Syr., Vg. iniquity bulges
- Psalm 73:8 Proudly
- Psalm 73:13 kept my heart pure in vain
- Psalm 73:16 troublesome in my eyes
- Psalm 73:21 Lit. pierced in my kidneys
- Psalm 73:26 Lit. rock
- Psalm 73:27 Are unfaithful to You
- Psalm 74:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 74:8 oppress
- Psalm 74:10 revile
- Psalm 74:13 sea monsters
- Psalm 74:14 A large sea creature of unknown identity
- Psalm 74:20 hiding places
- Psalm 74:20 homes
- Psalm 74:20 violence
- Psalm 74:22 reviles or taunts
- Psalm 75:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 75:2 appointed
- Psalm 75:4 Raise the head proudly like a horned animal
- Psalm 75:5 Insolent pride
- Psalm 75:10 Strength
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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